Sen. Keiser Newsroom

The Senate and House Democratic caucuses have requested that the federal government unlock disaster unemployment assistance for thousands of independent contractors in Washington who are losing work during the coronavirus pandemic.

Sen. Karen Keiser (D-Des Moines), who authored the letter, said: “The American workplace has changed and thousands of workers who are independent contractors—from hairdressers to high tech coders—do not qualify for unemployment benefits. During this public health crisis that is a hardship they should not be forced to endure.”

The full text of the letter is here:

Dear Members of the Washington State Congressional Delegation:

In these uncertain times, we need to act to protect all workers, especially those who don’t have access to unemployment insurance assistance. These workers include those considered by employers to be independent contractors in the gig economy and those who are self-employed. We are hearing from these workers about the economic difficulties caused by the coronavirus pandemic. This threatens their livelihoods and the strength of the broader economy.

Therefore, on behalf of the Senate and House Democratic Caucuses, we ask the Congressional Delegation to work with the Administration to ensure that Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) can be applied to pandemics in the same manner as to natural disasters when a federal emergency is declared. This will enable more Americans to have access to Unemployment Insurance (UI) without some of the standard eligibility requirements.

Disaster Unemployment Assistance would provide financial assistance to individuals whose employment or self-employment has been lost or interrupted as a direct result of a major disaster and who are not eligible for regular unemployment insurance benefits.

When a major disaster has been declared by the President, DUA is generally available to any unemployed worker or self-employed individual who lived, worked, or was scheduled to work in the disaster area at the time of the disaster; and who, due to the disaster:

no longer has a job or a place to work; or

cannot reach the place of work; or

cannot work due to damage to the place of work; or

cannot work because of an injury caused by the disaster.

DUA benefits are payable to individuals for up to 26 weeks after the date the disaster was declared by the President.

While the President approved Washington’s request to declare a major disaster in Washington related to COVID-19, the Administration is still considering the request to activate DUA as part of the declaration. We urge the Congressional Delegation to request the Administration unlock these vital benefits for our workers and businesses.

We understand the tremendous challenges you face in responding to the coronavirus crisis. Access to these additional benefits will make sure businesses and workers have a greater ability to get through this challenging situation. Thank you for considering this path to extend a safety net for our constituents who are considered independent contractors and who are self-employed and shore up our country’s economy during this uncertain time.

E-News: Coronavirus – steps the state is taking to help

The Legislature is taking this health crisis extremely seriously. We quickly appropriated $100 million to fund our state’s response, including monitoring, testing and support for local health departments.

State agencies have announced measures to help people and businesses whose lives are disrupted. The governor’s office has assembled a central list of resources here. Below are some of the most important changes that can help you.

If an employer temporarily shuts down operations because of coronavirus, workers may be eligible for unemployment benefits and the employer may receive relief of benefit costs.

If workers are exposed to coronavirus and asked to isolate or quarantine by a doctor or health official, they may receive unemployment benefits while they are temporarily away from work. A bill passed recently by the Legislature waives the requirement that people in this situation must be actively searching for work.

If workers fall seriously ill and are forced to quit, they cannot collect unemployment benefits while they are seriously ill but may be eligible once they recover and are able and available for work.

If employers file their tax reports late, pay their taxes late, or miss deadlines as a result of coronavirus, the penalties have been made more lenient.

In response to the spread of coronavirus, the Washington Health Benefit Exchange has opened a special enrollment period for health insurance through April 8. You can call 1-855-923-4633 between 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Several schools around the state, including some in Kent, have closed, but many remain open. This is a quickly moving situation, and the latest updates will be reflected on individual school websites or here.

First of all, if someone you know has a fever and non-acute respiratory distress, they should call their doctor – not go to the clinic or hospital. Symptoms to watch for are fever, cough, and shortness of breath.

The best preparations are to prevent infection with simple yet effective actions:

Wash your hands often with soap and water for 20 seconds (singing happy birthday twice).

With final Senate votes Monday, two bills sponsored by Sen. Karen Keiser, D-Des Moines, to curb sharply rising prescription drug prices have now passed the Legislature with broad bipartisan support and will go to the governor for his signature.

“Prescription drug costs are out of control,” Keiser said. “Our constituents can’t wait. The taxpayers can’t wait. This is a major step forward to cut the prices that patients have to pay.

“We have a responsibility to keep vital prescriptions affordable. I’ve been working for months with a broad range of stakeholders on this legislation, and I’m pleased that it has attracted bipartisan support.”

The bills that the Senate passed today take on insulin costs as well as costs for the most expensive prescriptions and those that are increasing in price the fastest.

SB 6087 will cap out-of-pocket cost to patients for insulin at $100 per month. It passed unanimously on a vote of 48-0.

SB 6088 will establish a prescription drug affordability board that would review prices and price increases to shine a spotlight on areas where pharmaceutical companies are putting profits ahead of people’s health. It passed on a vote of 31-17.

The Prescription Drug Affordability Board will determine whether the costs of a high-priced drug significantly exceed the value it provides to patients. If the board determines that the cost is not excessive, then it will simply recommend ways to make the drug more accessible to patients. If the board determines that the cost is excessive, it will ask the drug manufacturer to reduce the cost of the drug. If the manufacturer refuses, the board will post online the value that it calculates the drug actually has.

In addition, the bill requires the board to provide the newly created Health Care Cost Transparency Board (HB 2457) with tools to establish cost growth benchmarks for prescription drugs.

A third Keiser proposal, SB 6113, would have created a centralized purchasing process for insulin based on the approach used by the state to purchase childhood vaccines. It did not pass, but the policy was incorporated in amended form into HB 2662. That bill creates the Total Cost of Insulin Work Group, which will examine various strategies to bring down the cost of insulin long-term, including the possibility of creating a central purchasing plan.

With final Senate votes today, two bills sponsored by Sen. Karen Keiser (D-Des Moines) to curb sharply rising prescription drug prices have now passed the Legislature with broad bipartisan support and will go to the governor for his signature.

“Prescription drug costs are out of control,” said Keiser. “Our constituents can’t wait. The taxpayers can’t wait. This is a major step forward to cut the prices that patients have to pay.

“We have a responsibility to keep vital prescriptions affordable. I’ve been working for months with a broad range of stakeholders on this legislation, and I’m pleased that it has attracted bipartisan support.”

The bills that the Senate passed today take on insulin costs as well as costs for the most expensive prescriptions and those that are increasing in price the fastest.

SB 6087 will cap out-of-pocket cost to patients for insulin at $100 per month. It passed unanimously on a vote of 48-0.

SB 6088 will establish a prescription drug affordability board that would review prices and price increases to shine a spotlight on areas where pharmaceutical companies are putting profits ahead of people’s health. It passed on a vote of 31-17.

The Prescription Drug Affordability Board will determine whether the costs of a high-priced drug significantly exceed the value it provides to patients. If the board determines that the cost is not excessive, then it will simply recommend ways to make the drug more accessible to patients. If the board determines that the cost is excessive, it will ask the drug manufacturer to reduce the cost of the drug. If the manufacturer refuses, the board will post online the value that it calculates the drug actually has.

In addition, the bill requires the board to provide the newly created Health Care Cost Transparency Board (HB 2457) with tools to establish cost growth benchmarks for prescription drugs.

A third Keiser proposal, SB 6113, would have created a centralized purchasing process for insulin based on the approach used by the state to purchase childhood vaccines. It did not pass, but the policy was incorporated in amended form into HB 2662. That bill creates the Total Cost of Insulin Work Group, which will examine various strategies to bring down the cost of insulin long-term, including the possibility of creating a central purchasing plan.

Today’s strong bipartisan passage of House Bill 2662 by the Senate, and House passage of Senate Bills 6087 and 6088 shows Washington legislators are choosing to put their constituents’ interests ahead of pharmaceutical company greed.

For too long, Washingtonians have been struggling to afford the lifesaving medications they need, while big drug companies continue to rake in billions. Even though insulin has been around for almost a century, the cost of the diabetes drug has skyrocketed in recent years, nearly tripling between 2002 and 2013, according to a study from the American Diabetes Association.

We commend Representative Jacquelin Maycumber (R-7) and Senator Karen Keiser (D-33) for their leadership, and all those who voted for the measure for taking a stand against drug company price gouging. House Bill 2662 will cap out-of-pocket costs to patients for insulin at $100 per month, and will create a centralized purchasing process for insulin based on the approach used by the state to purchase childhood vaccines. Senate Bill 6087 will likewise cap out-of-pocket insulin costs at $100 per month.

According to a recent AARP survey, nearly half of Washington adults who report using insulin for themselves or a family member say their out-of-pocket spending on insulin has increased in the last four years. As a result, about 20 percent (of respondents or their family) have had to make adjustments such as cutting back on necessities like food, fuel and electricity (24%), taking less medication than what is prescribed (21%), or skipping a dose to save money (18%).

Those types of decisions are a life and death gamble for people like Tina Ghosn from Snoqualmie. Ghosn has three children with type 1 diabetes. Even with good employer insurance, insulin costs her family $500 a month out of pocket. Ghosn says that over the years, they’ve spent upwards of $30,000 out of pocket on the drug.

‘The pharmaceutical companies are holding people hostage at this point because there’s nothing we can do except pay the money,’ said Ghosn. ‘Without insulin, my kids would die. You can’t live without insulin so it’s never a choice.”

AARP is also applauding today’s House passage of Senate Bill 6088 creating a Prescription Drug Affordability Board. This Board will give our state the ability to evaluate drug prices and set limits on how much certain payers, including state agencies, will pay for high-cost prescription medications. If the cost of select medications exceed certain thresholds, the Board will have the opportunity to conduct an affordability review, which would require manufacturers to justify the price increase or high launch price.

Washingtonians have been speaking out loud and clear about the need for prescription drug cost relief, and the passage of these bills shows their elected lawmakers are listening. We commend them for their support, and look forward to Governor Inslee signing the measures in to law.”

Legislature Addresses High Cost of Insulin

The Washington state legislature passed four major bills on Wednesday, Feb. 19 that would address the high costs of insulin and other prescription drugs.

The next step is to pass the bills through the House of Representatives, where it will then go to Gov. Jay Inslee’s desk, Sen. Karen Keiser said. Kaiser said the bills, if passed, would most likely take effect in July.

Two of the bills would cap the cost of a month’s supply of insulin at $100. The bills would expire on Jan. 1, 2023, and are meant to provide short-term relief while the legislature searches for a long-term solution.

Another one of the bills would create a drug affordability board to identify prescription drugs at high prices and set price limits on these drugs for state purchasers.

“[The drug affordability board would] look at the way that the different pieces of the market work together to increase prices and push back on the different players,” Keiser said.

For example, people with multiple sclerosis pay $70,000 to $90,000 a year for their medications, Keiser said.

“Those are the kinds of really extraordinary costs that we could focus in on and put pressure on drug manufacturers,” Keiser said.

The last bill would create a centralized insulin-purchasing program, modeled after the state’s current Childhood Vaccine Program. The program would try to use the state’s purchasing power to lower drug costs, Keiser said.

Hannah Jones, a Type 1 diabetic and president of Western’s chapter of the College Diabetes Network, supports the bills. Jones said she often worries about what will happen when she ages out of her parent’s insurance program and has to pay for insulin herself.

“I was paying $250 a month for insulin. For some people that’s like a paycheck,” Jones said. “You’re damaging your livelihood just because you can’t afford a simple drug to keep you alive.”

Megan Whitsell, the program coordinator for PeaceHealth’s Nutrition & Diabetes Clinic, said they have a lot of clients who cross the border to Canada to buy insulin at a cheaper cost. She also said there were a lot of clients who bought insulin at Walmart for about $25.

This can be problematic because the Walmart brand of insulin does not work as well as the insulin the doctor prescribes, Whitsell said. She added that taking a different kind of insulin can change the way a person manages their diabetes and there can be risks for some patients.

A study conducted at Yale Diabetes Center from June to August 2017 surveyed patients asking if they had rationed their insulin in the past six months. Out of the 199 people, 51 — around one in four — said they had rationed their insulin before.

“The more people have to ration their insulin and have their blood sugar not under very good control, it just sets them up for all these other health problems,” said Tracy Rabin, a researcher in the study and associate director of Yale’s Office of Global Health.

Poor blood sugar can damage the eyes, kidneys and nerves, which can lead to blindness, kidney disease and foot pain, Rabin said. Uncontrolled diabetes puts people at a higher risk for having strokes and heart attacks.

Rabin said the data in the study does not necessarily apply to the general population. Demographics play a role and Medicaid benefits vary from state to state.

“Something [in Medicaid] that is true for patients in Connecticut will not necessarily be the same as in another state,” Rabin said.

Jones said while she supports the bill that would cap insulin at $100, she thinks more can be done by also fighting the cost of diabetes medical devices.

She said without insurance, she would pay about $4,000 for an insulin pump and glucose meter, which both only last about 90 days.

Carly McGuire, a Type 1 diabetic, agreed with Jones and said she would like to see medical equipment costs go down as well, not just insulin.

“I think that people don’t really think about the other expenses that go into it,” McGuire said. “When you’re not helping with the cost of devices and needles, everything else that goes into it, it’s not going to be as effective as it could be.”

McGuire said when she was on injections, she had to test her blood sugar a lot. The test strips that she used were $60 and only lasted about 10 days.

“We, as a country, are not paying attention to pharmaceutical companies sort of raising the prices on these medications that are really necessary,” Rabin said. “Making them unaffordable for people is something that can cost a lot of people their lives.”

Senate Bill 6034 would update the Washington Law Against Discrimination to give a pregnant woman, or new mother, one year instead of six months to file a complaint with the Washington Human Rights Council.

“It takes nine months or more to have a baby, but right now, expectant mothers only have six months to file a discrimination complaint,” said the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Karen Keiser, D-Des Moines, in a statement. “That doesn’t make sense.”

According to the complaint filed with the state human rights council and the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the University of Washington graduate claims she lost her career trajectory at Google when she stood up for a pregnant coworker, then suffered retaliation and discrimination herself when she became pregnant.

“People need to know that pregnancy discrimination is a very real thing that families continue to experience,” Glasson said Thursday morning.

Glasson, who testified in support of Keiser’s legislation, started as a Level 3 user experience (UX) researcher at Google in 2013 and over the next few years was rated “superb” and promoted several times, the complaint says.

When she became a manager, she became worried that a director was trying to “manage” a pregnant employee off the team. She took her concerns to Human Resources, and the director about whom she’d complained began a campaign of retaliation that included poor performance ratings and denial of leadership opportunities, the complaint alleges.

Glasson said that during her second pregnancy, her new director and manager told her they were concerned her upcoming maternity leave would “stress the team” and “rock the boat,” and so she would not be taking on management responsibilities until after her return.

According to Keiser, studies show that mothers are half as likely to be called back for interviews as non-mothers, and mothers who are hired are likely to be offered an average of $11,000 less per year in salary.

Glasson said the bill, which passed its final hurdle Wednesday with a vote of 95-1 in the House, will be helpful to others in her situation.

“What I’ve learned from my experience,” she said, “is that when pregnancy discrimination does happen, it’s incredibly difficult to fight.”

These illnesses are most severe in elderly and immune compromised populations. Health officials are working as rapidly as possible to identify those in the community who have been exposed, isolate them and get them tested.

What You Can Do

First of all, if someone you know has a fever and respiratory distress, they should call their doctor – not go to the clinic or hospital. A doctor will make an assessment about next steps. If it requires a coronavirus test, the doctor will contact King County Public Health to arrange a test. There are no public testing sites.

If you are in King County and believe you were exposed to a confirmed case of coronavirus but don’t have a doctor to call, you can contact the King County novel coronavirus call center at 206-477-3977.

Symptoms to watch for:

Fever

Cough

Shortness of breath

The best preparations are to prevent infection with simple yet effective actions:

Wash your hands often with soap and water for 20 seconds. (Singing happy birthday twice takes about 20 seconds.)

Cover your coughs and sneezes with your elbow, sleeve or tissue. (I know it’s hard but try not to use your hands.)

Bump elbows with friends rather than hugs or handshakes.

Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces such as doorknobs, tabletops, and kitchen areas when food is prepared.

Use hand sanitizers when unable to wash your hands.

The Washington State Department of Health has also established a call center to address questions. Given the large call volume, it is best to research general questions online if you have access to a computer. Call if you need advice about what to do if you have symptoms. You can call 1-800-525-0127.

If you develop a fever or respiratory distress, stay home and call for help from your doctor or the King County call center at 206-477-3977.

What is Happening in Washington

We are fortunate in Washington to have expert public health officials and scientists who have experience in responding to pandemics. We can all help by staying informed and following their recommendations.

This is a very quickly moving situation and information is changing constantly. You can stay informed at these pages:

You can find information about how the situation affects school closures here.

What We Are Doing in Olympia

The Senate passed an operating budget last week that dramatically increased funding for coronavirus response with an additional $10 million for public health.

Much more funding is on the way, given the rapidly evolving situation. New legislation was introduced Monday morning by Reps. Eileen Cody and Joe Schmick to transfer $100 million from the state’s Rainy Day Fund to the state Department of Health and Department of Social and Health Services.

The bill has passed the House and we will be acting on it in the Senate today. It authorizes a funding transfer of $100 million into the state disaster response account specifically for coronavirus response. It also allows DSHS to increase nursing facility payments as the department hires more nurses. We will also provide funding to free up more beds in our acute care hospitals for coronavirus patients.

We are near the end of our 2020 session, but if this outbreak turns into a full-blown pandemic, we may be called back into special session to provide additional emergency funding for more services.

Finally, if you are unable to find the help you need from medical providers, the King County public health department or the Washington state Department of Health, please don’t hesitate to contact my office. We will do everything we can to help.

E-News: Building up our community

One of the best parts of representing you in the Senate is hearing bill ideas from constituents that will help strengthen the communities where we live, and then helping pass them into law.

This week, I’d like to give you a couple examples of those bills, which will directly benefit our local community, as well as update you on my other bills that are moving along toward final passage.

Constituent Ideas

SB 6035 cuts through some red tape that one of our local businesses ran into. Mama Stortini, with local Kent and Federal Way restaurants, was caught between the rules of the Liquor and Cannabis Board and the Department of Labor & Industries. They wanted to hold a wine-tasting session for employees to learn about the wines they were serving. This would clearly be part of their job duties, but employees are not allowed to drink on the job. What to do? This bill will reconcile those rules to allow businesses with liquor licenses to hold educational tastings for employees while they’re on the clock, so long as that activity is kept separate from serving alcohol to the public.

SB 6095 will allow and regulate the Wine Flies Free program — a partnership between one of the largest employers in our district and small wineries in Washington. If you fly to Eastern Washington, go to a Washington winery, and buy a case of wine, you can check it on an Alaska Air flight for no charge. This is a boon for the wine industry and tourism around our state.

Bill Progress

In addition to the two I mentioned above, another 10 bills that I sponsored in the Senate have already made it over to the House and been passed out of committee there. These bills have an excellent chance of being passed into law in the last two weeks of the session.

SB 6419 would provide people with developmental disabilities good options for community care close to home, as well as for nursing home care and state centers of excellence.

Bill would lower cost of insulin in Washington

Bringing down the cost of insulin for people with diabetes is the goal behind two Senate bills and one House bill have been passed by the Washington state legislature.

Senate bill 6087 and House bill 2662 both cap the cost of insulin for patients at $100 per month, while Senate bill 6113 appoints the Northwest Prescription Drug Consortium as the single purchaser of insulin in Washington state.

“Currently, the cost of insulin is breaking budgets, threatening lives, and, in some cases, even costing lives,” said Sen. Karen Keiser, D-Kent, the primary sponsor for the two Senate bills.

According to a report by the Health Care Cost Institute, the amount of money spent on insulin by Americans with type 1 diabetes almost doubled between 2012 and 2016.

In Washington state, “those enrolled in the consumer driven health plan pay an average of $206 per month,” on insulin, according to the Senate Bill report on SB 6087.

Rep. Jacquelin Maycumber, R-Republic, the primary sponsor of HB 2662, says her son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes last year.

“Those children have to go to bed at night, and not just worry about the stigma of having a chronic disease … they worry about having the money to pay for medication,” Maycumber said.

Some lawmakers opposed the Senate bills because of uncertainty surrounding the reason for insulin price increases. Concerns were also raised by some insurance industry representatives on the effect the caps would have on premiums.

“We need to know what is happening that is increasing that cost to the extent that it is making it impossible for people to pay those prices,” said Sen. Randi Becker, R-Eatonville.

“This would do nothing but pass on these additional costs to other people paying the premiums,” Becker said.

HB 2662 would put a cap on insulin costs for only two years if put into effect.

SB 6087 and SB 6113 were passed by the Senate Tuesday, Feb. 18, with a vote of 34-14 and 28-20, respectively. HB 2662 was passed by the House Wednesday, Feb. 19, with a vote of 97-1.

Provisions in these bills would have to be signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee to take effect.